1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to computer network systems and, more particularly, to troubleshooting network systems.
2. Related Art
Computer networks are widely used to provide increased computing power to facilitate the sharing of resources and to enable communication to occur between disperse users. Today's computer networks are large complex systems with many components from a large variety of vendors interconnected to form the network. Networks may include a number of computer devices within a room, a building or a site that are interconnected by a high speed local data link such as local area network (LAN), token ring, Ethernet or the like. Local networks in different locations may be interconnected by techniques such as packet switching, microwave links and satellite links to form a world-wide network such as the Internet. A network system can include several hundred or more interconnected devices.
Network management is the common term given to the task of planning, engineering, securing and operating a network system. One network management task is the troubleshooting of faults, errors and the like (collectively, “problem events”) that occur in entities forming or operating on a network system. There are many different entities that need to be managed in a network. These entities include, for example, routers, bridges, PC's, workstations, minicomputers, supercomputers, printers, file servers, switches, communications systems, databases, software applications and the like. Such hardware and software entities are referred to herein simply as “entities” for ease of reference. As the types of entities that form or reside on a network system increase, so to does the variety of faults that must be diagnosed and remedied to maintain such entities operational. The task of troubleshooting a network system, therefore, requires greater expertise and becomes more difficult as the network system becomes larger and more complex.
Network management systems have been utilized in the past to assist a network administrator/network operator/customer/user/network manager (“network administrator” herein) troubleshoot the network system. As used herein, the term “troubleshoot” refers to the diagnostic activities performed to determine one or more correction actions necessary or potentially helpful to repair the cause or causes of a problem event. Typically, there is a management system for different types of entities on the network system. For example, large networks often include network managers, database managers and software application managers, to name a few. Due to the diversity of such managed entities, such management systems are commonly referred to as domain managers. Conventional network management systems typically operated by remote access, monitoring information from the managed entities on the network system. As the problem events occur, conventional network management systems notify the network administrator of the problem events for diagnoses and repair of the cause(s) of the problem event.
Unfortunately, conventional network management systems collect large volumes of information that must be evaluated by the network administrator to diagnose a problem. Oftentimes the information presented is not relevant to the diagnosis or correction of the problem. Conventional network management systems, therefore, place a tremendous burden on the network administrator. The network administrator must know or determine which information is relevant to the particular problem, and must also know or determine the source or sources of such diagnostic information as well as the manner in which the diagnostic information is to be retrieved from such source or sources.
In addition, the network administrator must be well versed in a wide variety of types of entities such as network systems, software applications, and the like in order to understand and respond to problems generated by the various entities on the network system. Oftentimes, the less proficient network administrator is misled by the presentation of less relevant information. This increases the likelihood that the network administrator will take a longer time to diagnose a problem or incorrectly diagnose the problem due to the inclusion of such irrelevant information in the evaluation of the problem event.
What is needed, therefore, is a system, method or technique to assist a network administrator troubleshoot a network system.